On the upcoming stem-cell funding vote

I have attached below the text of a letter I sent to several Representatives and Senators concerning the expansion of federal funding for stem-cell research. I urge you to read the text of the two Senate bills on stem-cell research and write your Congresspeople or Senators as well:
S.5 : A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for human embryonic stem cell research.
Sponsor: Sen Reid, Harry [NV] (introduced 1/4/2007)      Cosponsors (30)
Latest Major Action: 1/4/2007 Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.

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2. [110th] S.51 : A bill to derive human pluripotent stem cell lines using techniques that do not knowingly harm embryos.
Sponsor: Sen Isakson, Johnny [GA] (introduced 1/4/2007)      Cosponsors (None)
Committees: Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Major Action: 1/4/2007 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

I always welcome your comments, though it may be a while before I can respond to them (school starts in a few days!)

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I am writing to remind you of your responsibility to the people of our
nation at large. You may technically represent your state or
constituency, but together with the other members of Congress, you make
policy for all Americans. You were also elected to represent your
conscience. As a scientist and a Christian, I understand that you are
in a quite difficult place in making decisions about stem cell
research. However, I feel that you are obliged to vote AGAINST
expansions in federal funding of stem cell research.

Voting NO will not prevent advancements in the understanding of
cellular development and stem cell-mediated medicine. We all are
familiar with the existence of private funds for this research, such as
the Michael J. Fox. Foundation. As a research scientist, I can tell you
their money is as good for funding as the government’s! However, as a
citizen, I do not want my tax money being used for this purpose.

Our nation has lasted for over two hundred years on the principle that
the rights of the minority are not infringed upon by the majority in
power. To quote Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King, Jr.:
“How can the ?Dream? survive if we murder the children? Every aborted
baby is like a slave in the womb of his or her mother. The mother
decides his or her fate…. Because I am a civil rights activist I have
to fight for the rights of the unborn.”
We must protect the most voiceless minority of our society: our children.

Many of you were elected because of disagreements we, your citizens,
have with other policies of the federal government, such as the war in
Iraq. Yet do not misunderstand us on the issue of stem cells: WE DON’T
WANT THIS!

You represent the citizens of our nation, whether we voted for you or
not. Our democracy functions on that principle: we are ALL represented
by our representatives. I urge you to vote AGAINST expansions in
federal funding of stem cell research.

We interrupt this blog to bring you my actual opinion on something…

I have noticed a trend recently of disrespect for the law and for those who make and enforce them. From politicians mudslinging each other (in the glorious festival of stupidity we call “election season”) to a general lack of empathy for people who we elect, but fail to support, I have become somewhat…no, change that, VERY disgusted with the juvenility of America today.

First of all, I don’t really care whether you think we should be in Iraq or not, whether you feel Islam is “a religion of peace” or not, or even if you are Republican/Democrat/whatever: President Bush is the PRESIDENT…and you are not. Give the man some respect! There are few jobs in America that have so much exposure and criticism associated with them…and I don’t exactly think that you are Mr./Mrs. Congeniality at your job either. Being a man of few years, I did not vote for the previous president…so I did not choose to voice my opinion about him. I found him to be less than qualified as a person to represent me and my family, much less this nation, but a majority of electoral voters, representing a majority of voters in their states, elected him…twice. Yet much less criticism fell on him for his extramarital affairs, his lack of response in the Rwanda genocide, his failure to respond to the growing crisis of terrorism worldwide, and his rather shady dealings with the elite of this nation. Where is the respect due to the office of Commander-in-Chief? You may not like Bush, you may not like me, but everyone (yes, EVERYONE) deserves the respect due him/her and their place of authority.

Second, every two years we ballyhoo about how Congress is corrupt and unresponsive to the needs of the people. Yet very few people take a few hours out of their day to go and vote (I know you have the time because you are reading this blog!). Again, I maintain that those who do not act ot change the government (vote, run for office, write a letter, make a phone call etc.) have no right to criticize or insult it. Since I was eighteen, I have voted in every November election and several of the primaries…I make my voice known. I have also written Congress on a issue I found important (African agriculture and continuing European condescension). What have you done with those flapping gums and general irritability you foist upon the blogosphere? (Apologies to those who do not foist.)

This leads me to my next point: we live in a civilized democracy — rule of the majority, protection of the minority. If you happen to be in the majority, you get to set policy. If you happen to be in the minority, you don’t, but you do have the protections of the Constitution to challenge the popular opinion and law. So if you do not agree with the policies in place or those proposed by popular referendum (I am speaking now about marriage amendments, but not exclusively to that issue.), you have three options:

1) Try to stir up support in your area to change the policy .

2) Challenge the legality or validity of the proposition or the policy in court.

3) Move to another area (read: nation) that shares your opinions

Given recent events and popular sentiment in most parts of America, I suggest option 3. Oh yeah, you can also run for Congress, but even there you need a majority to make changes…again option 3 is looking good.

Okay, I’m done now. Sorry if that was too vitrolic…I hope that we as a nation can act civilly and decently toward each other, but that remains to be seen…